Garment-supporter clasp



(No Mode l.)

P. 1). HARDING. GARMENT SUPPORTER ULASP.

No. 534,044. Patented Feb. 12, 1895.

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FRED D. HARDING OF BALDWIN, MAINE.

GARMENT-8U PPORTER CLASP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 534,044, dated February 12,1895.

Applica i n filed December 22,1893. Serial No. 494,374. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED D. HARDING, a. citizen of the United States of America, residing at Baldwin, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment-Supporter Clasps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in garment supporter clasps and is especially designed to support hose, sleeves, &c. Its object is to provide a clasp which shall be easy to operate and which will not tear or destroy the garment. I

It consists in a metallic plate bent back upon itself to form jaws, the top part having a hole cut therein and a clamping device hinged thereto and adapted. to be pressed down upon the surface of the garment when inserted between the jaws. The base of the plate at or near the end of the top is set oif upwardly and in the end of said set-off portion is a transverse slot to receive the end of the fabric which forms a part of the complete supporter. It further consists in certain details of construction which will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

In the drawings herewith accompanying and making a part of this application, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the clasp with fabric attached. Fig.2 is a central longitudinal section of the same showing clamping device raised. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of same showing clamping device closed down upon the garment.

Same letters referto like parts.

In said drawings a represents the base of the metallic plate; 19, the folded or top portion, and c the raised set-0E portion. The top I) has an opening d therein formed by cutting away the metal, leaving at the front end a narrow bar e which serves as a journal or bearing for the clamp. Attached to said journal is a clamp composed of a single piece of metal formed by bending a strip of metal at or nearly at right angles and then folding one of the said parts back upon itself forming between the point of bending and the end of said folded part an open space f to receive the journal or bar e in such manner that the. folded part 9 when the arm h is pressed down upon the top of the plate or into the opening therein, brings up against the raised set-off z' in thebase plate. The folded part of the plate may be slightly narrower than the base of the plate so as to leave a shoulder j on either side and surrounding the metallic plate at the back of the jaws is a loop which is prevented from slipping over the base of the plate by means of said shoulders or by lugs projecting out from the sides of said plate and from slipping over the top bythe tension of the fabric. To attach the fabric to the metallic holder, the end of the fabric is inserted down through the transverse slot Z in the end of the set-ofi and carried back to the base of the set-off. The other end of the fabric is then passed around the end of the set-0E portion back over the base and thence under the loop at the back of the jaw.

The lever arm of the clamp may be short enough to pass through the hole in the top as seen in the drawings or it may be longer than the opening in said top. The advantage of having it shorter than the said opening is that the said lever arm when in position will extend below said jaw as seen in Fig. 3 so that it will be impossible for it to catch the garment, either to tear the garment or upset the clamp.

The advantage of having the jaws made of an elastic metal is that thereby the thickness of the jaws is accommodated and adjusted tothe thickness of the garment, the pivoted clamp and the spring jaw giving perfect adj ustability.

The manner of attaching the fabric has many advantages. The end passing down through the transverse opening and terminating just in front of the set-off portion forms a perfectly smooth bearing surface for the fabric. The fabric then passing around the end and over the base prevents the metal from coming in contact with the garment or the body, and the loop under which the fabric passes holds the fabric in position, said loop preventing the fabric from drawing back over the base, the loop being held by the shoulders or lugs before described and being prevented from passing over the top by means of the tension of the fabric.

The clamping device consisting of the lever arm and the contact arm is specially adapted to the purpose for which it is designed. It is simple and the contact part being folded back upon itself does not present any sharp points to tear the garment, the garment being held by the downward pressure upon the base and the gripping jaws formed by the set-off and the end of said clamping arm. Moreover, the manner of formingthe pivot joint by the bend at the angle of the plate and the end of the folded part makes the joint compact and when the clamp is turned in the position shown in Fig. 2 to receive the end of the garment, it takes up very little of the space at the opening of the two jaws and permits the garment to be readily received therein. The forward end of the top jaw should be nearly over the set-off in the base in order to give the greatest holding power, and in order to prevent the garment from being drawn out and yet permit the ready loosening of the clamp by drawing the garment toward the back of the jaws.

If desired, the clamping device may be arranged to stop in the position shown in Fig. 2 by any convenient means. As shown, the angular edge of bar e holds in the angle in the clamp formed by the folded parts.

In order to form a ledge to receive the edge of the garment and to readily guide the garment between the jaws, the base a extends somewhat beyond the top and the covering of the forward edge of the base by the fabric prevents the garment from coming in contact with the metal at that point.

The contact edge of the clamp may be covered by some non-metallic materialm as rubber or gutta percha so that it will not injure the finest garments.

The operation of my improved garment supporter clasp is as follows: The edge of the garment is placed upon said ledge and is then drawn between the jaws until the edgebrings up against the back of said jaws. The lever arm is then pressed down and the clamping arm striking against the garment resting upon the base presses the garment slightly forward and against said set-off as seen in Fig. 3. It is important that the clamping arm should press the garment slightly forward in order that it may leave space to be drawn back to detach the clamping arm. The manner in which the clamping device is pivotally attached to the top jaw renders it very easy to loosen the clamp, simply pressing the garment back toward the back of the jaw, and

the spring of the jaw tendsto throw the clamp into the position shown in Fig. 2.

The arrangement of the jaws with the setoff in the base and the clamping device pivotally attached to the top gives sufficient holding power without the necessity for the serrated contact surface of the clamping device usually employed and which is so dostructive to the garments.

Having thus described my invention and its use, I claim- 1. In a garment supporter clasp,a metallic plate folded back upon itself to form jaws, the open end of the base extending beyond the top and being set up to form underneath a space to receive the free end of the fabric supporter and on the inside a stop to receive the clamp, a transverse slot in said set up portion, an opening in the top jaw, and a clamp pivotally mounted on said jaw and adapted to swing in said, opening, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a garment supporter clasp, a metallic plate folded to form jaws, the baseextending beyond the top and having an upwardly extending setoff and a transverse slot in said set-off portion, the top having a hole therein and a clamping device pivotally attached to said top, a loop passing loosely around the back part of the jaws and means for preventing said loopfrom drawing back over the base, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a garment supporter clasp, a metallic plate bent to form jaws, the base having an upwardly extending set-off, a transverse slot in said set-off, the top having a hole therein and a clamping device pivotally attached thereto, a loop passing loosely around the back end of the jaw in combination with a fabric supporter having one end inserted through said transverse slot and under said setoif portion and terminating in front of the vertical part of the set-off and the body part bent around the end of the jaw and carried along the base over the end of the fabric and thence passing under said loop,substan' tially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 19th day of December, A. I). 1893.

FRE D D. HARDING.

Vitnesses:

ELGIN O. MERRILL, NATHAN CLIFFORD. 

